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‘There is a darkness in the flames . . .’ Goody’s voice followed close on to Wenda’s last words. ‘See how it creeps toward the heart of the embers.’ She looked up from her chair by the fire, turning her gaze on Wenda, and by inclusion, the tall man and the other woman who sat near her.
‘The new year is turning,’ she continued in a challenging tone. ‘How will you see the light prevail and the shadows driven back?’ Her gnarled hand reached down for a handful of holly and she threw into the glowing core of the little blaze. Flames danced and licked along the pointy leaves, consuming the reddened berries that clung to them. Rowan followed and then yew, each of them calling up the flames. Still the darkness remained.
‘What will you do?’
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